Self-awareness

Maintaining a complex society requires culture and language.

The complexity of our societies is reflected in human culture…

Do other animals have culture?

Do other animals have culture?

In rats

http://salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year3/PSY339EvolutionaryPsychology/EvolutionaryPsychology.htm

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1504/

How different are we from other animals?

Do Animals Have Feelings?Antonio Damasio proposed (2003)

1. Primary - instinctual

2. Social - group interaction

3. Feelings - self-reflection

Are non-human animals self-aware?The mirror test: developed by Gallup in 1980s

a bottlenose dolphin trying to see a spot painted on it’s side

http://www.earthtrust.org/delbook.html

What about birds? (http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~allanr/mirror.html)

This pigeon has a bib so it cannot see it’s chest

put dot, and determine pigeons actions in front of mirror

http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~allanr/selfaware.mpg

Killer Whale time spent in front of window (C) vs mirror (M) Behavioural Processes Vol 53, #3, 26 April 2001, pg 181-190

Killer Whale time spent shaking head in front of window (C) vs mirror (M) Behavioural Processes Vol

53, #3, 26 April 2001, pg 181-190

Killer Whale time spent opening mouth in front of window (C) vs mirror (M) Behavioural Processes Vol

53, #3, 26 April 2001, pg 181-190

Several species can recognize self in mirror by dot test or actions in front of mirror. They do not see mirror image as other, but self.

Do Animals Have Feelings?Antonio Damasio proposed (2003)

1. Primary - instinctual

2. Social - group interaction

3. Feelings - self-reflection

Is a sense of self necessary for feelings?

Should our interactions with animals depend on their self-awareness?

Is self-awareness necessary for feeling pain, fear, etc?

Nature 419, 255 (19 September 2002) Awareness: Animal reflections by Marc Bekoff

Animals should have the same rights as humans

Animals have no

rights and no “humane”

treatment is warranted

Ethics of using animals in research